I put a front locker and manual hubs on my nissan and have an LSD in the rear. It did well without the locker, but now I can crawl up anything I can get a front tire over, and getting through slick mud is somewhat easier. Eventually I'm going to replace the Tcase 2:1 gear with a 3.7:1 gear that will be really really low final ratio in 1 low. I'll be able to idle up steep inclines.

You don't need them...until it is too late. Then you have to get unstuck or turn around.

What you'll see a lot is people with open diffs trying to climb up over a log or shelf rock or through a steep sided hole and they spin if they don't hop all the way up, so they'll rock it or back off and gun it for momentum. Often that works, but it is a great way to snap a tie rod in the middle of nowhere.

I did that on dump bump in Moab. Had the front and rear locked but just couldn't get up without lots of tire spinning and was getting really frustrated. Realized center diff was unlocked. Oops. even lockers aren't idiot proof


speaking of which, don't do a non selectable locker up front (detroit, lock rite, spartan, etc). Full time 4wd doesn't like that. Should be obvious, but the OP sounds new to this.

also don't do a "lunchbox" like a spartan or lock rite. Its the same amount of effort plus new bearings to setup a carrier replacement as a spider gear replacement on a toyota rear 3rd. Spend the extra couple of hundred for something that won't eventually crap the pins or carrier shaft.

OP, although I said at first that I consider LSD a minimum requirement, as someone else said, don't let the presents on lockers/LSD a hard requirement in a vehicle search. If you find a good deal on a vehicle you like, buy it, wheel it, if you get stuck too much, then upgrade to lockers, its all part of wheeling.

Adding a click or two of E-brake is the poor mans limited-slip diff.